Liverpool's faint hopes of Champions League qualification were all but ended by their failure to win at Chelsea.

The Reds produced a spirited display against a Blues side lacking any real cutting edge without striker Diego Costa, but could not find a winner.

John Terry's header put the champions into the lead, but Steven Gerrard equalised when he nodded in at the far post on the stroke of half-time.

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Mourinho 'so happy' at Gerrard applause

Liverpool had the better chances to win and Philippe Coutinho twice went close.

But the playmaker's failure to find the net means Brendan Rodgers' side are six points behind fourth-placed Manchester United with two games left and an inferior goal difference, while Arsenal are assured of a Champions League spot.

The Reds were well organised at the back - with Gerrard marshalling the midfield well - while Raheem Sterling and Coutinho often flickered into life.

Chelsea, though, will feel they might have won and that Gerrard's goal should have been better defended as the veteran midfielder was allowed to peel away from his marker and head home unchallenged.

Equally, Liverpool will be annoyed that Terry managed to leap above Rickie Lambert to head home the goal which makes him the highest-scoring defender in Premier League history.

It was perhaps fitting that the two players who have epitomised the spirit and character of their respective clubs were on the scoresheet and shared the honours in their final meeting of a decade-long club rivalry.

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Gerrard among 'best of generation' - Brendan Rodgers

Gerrard is leaving Liverpool for the United States in the summer, while Terry will play on, but there was also a glimpse into the future for both teams as the two managers took advantage of a chance to blood some fresh faces in the closing stages of this campaign.

Jose Mourinho handed a full Premier League debut to 19-year-old midfielder Reuben Loftus-Cheek, and the athletic youngster did not disappoint - a tidy performance underlined by the fact he did not give the ball away once when making his 27 passes.

Liverpool sent on 18-year-old striker Jerome Sinclair in the second half as they pressed for a winner, which they might have found in the closing stages when Coutinho's shot took a wicked deflection and almost wrong-footed Thibaut Courtois.

The Brazilian had earlier shot just wide after Sterling had dragged three Chelsea defenders across the box, while Willian should have done better when he exposed Glen Johnson in his unfamiliar left-back spot and twice tried his luck with angled shots.

Cesc Fabregas also fired over in the second half, but the Spaniard was lucky to still be on the pitch after hurting Sterling with a horribly late challenge inside 30 seconds of the match kicking off.

However, the early aggression did not materialise into any sort of sustained pressure and the match petered out into a draw - the biggest cheer in the second half being the reception afforded to Gerrard by both sets of fans as the former England skipper left the Stamford Bridge pitch for the final time late on.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers:

"It was a poor challenge from Cesc Fabregas, he should've been sent off - out of control, diving, stretching.

"It was early in the game (but) it doesn't matter if it's early, beginning of the second half, end of the game. It was a bad challenge and he deserved a red card for it.

"We sit in fifth place and that's probably where we're at. If we want to make the next steps, we need to find some acquisitions in the summer to help us do that."

Steven Gerrard was applauded from the field by Chelsea supporters

John Terry has put the ball in the back of the net (including an own goal) on every day of the week this season in all competitions

Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is the half-brother of former Newcastle United striker Carl Cort